This week, our exercise was for us to complete our final project and post it here for everyone in the class to read. We basically are reviewing what we learned, what changes we've seen in ourselves, and what steps we need to take to continue on our road to human flourishing. Below is my final project and I invite all of you to read it. (Don't be afraid, my little minions, it won't hurt, really it won't)
- Introduction:
Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?
When
people used to think of treatment for medical problems, they usually seemed to
think of only treating the physical aspect. While this was fine for a long
time, a physical diagnosis was not always the true problem. As medicine has
developed over the years, we have discovered that true healing involves all
aspects of the body (Schiltz, 2005). While physical
treatment is important, we have found that psychological and spiritual
well-being affects our physical well-being. We learn with integral health that
healing is not a one-of-a-kind thing and that the way we treat an individual
has to be tailored to their specific needs (Dacher, 2006). What works for one
person will not always work for another. For a health and wellness professional
to truly understand integral health, they must learn all aspects and treat each
one as needed.
For
myself, I want to try and be as healthy as I can be in all aspects, physically,
psychologically and spiritually. Out of all the areas, my psychological area is
probably the best and I know I need to work on developing my physical and
spiritual some more.
- Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
When
it comes to my health, my physical aspect needs some work. For the most part,
I’m pretty healthy in the sense that I’m hardly ever sick and I don’t have many
health problems. However, I am overweight and I know that I need to lose some
of this weight. Losing weight will help me feel better and will also be
beneficial to my health since high blood pressure, diabetes, and some heart
problems seem to run on both sides of my family. My mental health is pretty
good. I’m nuts and I admit it, but so is everyone else that I know and it’s
this humor we all have that helps keep me healthy mentally. I don’t usually get
stressed out which I know is a big plus for me. I just don’t see what the point
is about getting stressed over something that I have no control over. If I can
control a situation, then I think of the possible outcomes before I act. For
me, there is usually an answer to a problem. I just have to find it. My
spiritual aspect is getting better. I know a lot of this area has to do with
our own beliefs and I do have my own. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in a
higher power and all of that, but I also believe in other things as well (and I
won’t go any further into that since I don’t want to offend anyone and I refuse
to push a religion on anyone else, so we’ll leave it at that for now). I’m
starting to understand how different beliefs affect others and to see if any of
those ways can be of any help to me. The exercises we used in this class as
well as meditation and visualization should help me a lot.
When
this course first started, I would have rated myself on a scale of 1-10 at a 3
on physical wellness, an 8 on psychological wellness and a 3 on spiritual
wellness. Now that the course if coming to an end, I would rate my physical wellness
at a 5, my psychological wellness at a 9, and my spiritual wellness at a 6.
- Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
Physical
Goal: My physical goal is to lose some of the extra weight I carry and to
become healthier by eating right and exercising more.
Psychological
Goal: My psychological goal is to stay as stress free as I can and to continue
to challenge my mind each day, whether it’s learning a new craft or working my
way through a puzzle online.
Spiritual
Goal: My spiritual goal is to expand this area of wellness as much as I can by
learning all that I can.
- Practices for personal
health:
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.
When
it comes to my physical well-being, I’m currently looking into ways I can set
meal plans and keep track of the foods I eat to ensure that I’m getting the
nutrients that I need each day. I’ve also begun exercising more and I hope that
I can increase this as I go along and maybe even incorporate some of my
visualization, meditation and breathing techniques with it. I also know that I
should see my doctor each year for a checkup. I’m hoping that I can start doing
this so I can keep an eye on any family health problems and catch any before
they really become a problem for me.
When
it comes to my psychological well-being, my main thing is to keep my sense of
humor. That’s some of the best medicine around. I’m going to stay stress free
and do my best to keep my mind sharp. I have looked at the Lumosity website and
it looks very interesting. I tried some of the exercises and was pleased at how
well I did. I’m hoping to join the site for a year and try some of the other
exercises and see how I do on those. I’m also always interested in learning new
things. Believe it or not, two things that I hope to work on is re-learning my
Spanish and to play the piano. These two exercises will challenge my mind and I
will feel good mentally because I know I’m learning something new and that will
give me a big boost in confidence.
When
it comes to my spiritual well-being, I’m hoping to learn more about this area.
I want to look deeper into the religion that I’ve chosen for myself and still
hold my own beliefs and work to mix the two together. I want to continue with
my meditation and work on creating new places to think of when I’m doing a
visualization trip. I also want to keep working on my breathing techniques and
learn more about the Chakra, since that seems to play a major part in our
spiritual health. I know the one exercise in this class that was hard for me
was the Loving-Kindness exercise. I am determined to find a way to make this
work for me. Perhaps I can find a different exercise for it online and give it
a try again. I’m sure that with time, I’ll be fine.
- Commitment:
How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?
In
the next six months, I intend to keep track of my progress by using a few
websites I have found, but also to keep three different journals; one for each
aspect of my well-being. I want to write out small goals for myself and work my
way up to the main goal. I want to set up time management plans for each
aspect, things like what I need to do each day and how much time I should spend
on each one. As I keep track of my progress, I can look to see if there are any
changes I need to make if I have an area that is a bit weak, or if I should
keep going the way I am. Another thing I think I will continue to use is the
blog we created for this class. It’s been fun and relaxing writing my
experiences each week and being able to express myself. Sometimes writing down
what you are thinking and feeling is one of the best ways to see how one’s
well-being is doing. I know that if I should come across any other tips and
techniques, I will pass them along and offer and advice and support to those
that come to me and I hope that everyone in this class will do the same.
Perhaps if we all stop being afraid and take this first steps, we’ll all fund
our true path to human flourishing.
References:
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The path to
Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Schiltz, M. (2005). Consciousness
and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine. St. Louis:
Elsevier.
Yes, it has been a journey for me and one that I know will continue. And so, as we come to the end of this week, I will leave you with these words: Don't worry about peoples expectations of you. Just follow the expectations you have of yourself.
Until next time!
Hi Lindsey!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your evaluation. You are being honest with yourself, which is the first step in a path to complete health, happiness and wholeness. I wish to hear more about your spiritual journey, as this is your blog, and if someone is offended, they can choose to not read it. I don’t think you would be pushing it on someone else, merely stating your view, and we are all entitled to our opinions.
Anyway! I hope you find a solid plan to help you in your journey for physical health. I, too, and a few pounds overweight, and I eat well and exercise a very good amount. I eat too well, I think that is the problem; too much healthy food is still too much food! I am learning how to use nutrition to heal the body, and I am hoping that I can find a manageable plan. A plan that works is critical- if you do not have a plan you can use, it will not work. Many of the guys at work tell me that “they wish they could eat like me” (as I eat many fruits and veggies), and I tell them they can, they just need to make small changes over time.
Foreseeing outcomes and planning how your stress level will be in a situation is a great way to manage stress. Many people find it hard to decipher what is under their control and what is not. I tend to be forward leaning on others to help them understand that concept, as some people get so wrapped around the axle on things way beyond their control.
Thanks again for the great blog this week!
Warm Regards,
Jenn...a minion for life! ;O)